IN THIS ISSUE

A new dawn?

Too many new power plants were built in the United States in the 1990’s and that led, together with the slowdown in economic activity, to a slump in wholesale electricity prices from which the mer...

Lower taxes for US “manufacturers”

The Internal Revenue Service answered questions in late January about a new law that will let companies pay taxes at a lower rate on income from “manufacturing” in ...

Wind market roundtable

In an otherwise soft project finance market, windpower deals are a bright spot. More than 180 people attended a roundtable discussion that Chadbourne hosted in mid-January in Houston ...

Tax break for repatriated earnings

The US government is hoping that US companies will bring back billions of dollars this year from overseas to take advantage of a special ...

Ethanol goes prime time

Ethanol plants are another bright spot in an otherwise weak project finance market ...

Restating earnings from lease deals?

Equity participants in the leveraged-lease market are agonizing over whether they have to rerun earnings from a variety of highly-structured equipment lease transactions that were done in the last ...

Grants for renewable energy projects

Project developers using nascent renewable energy technologies in the United States may qualify for grants from the US government...

Environmental update

With the Kyoto protocol on climate change scheduled to enter into force on February 16, 2005, the jockeying for the post-2012 round of emission reductions has already started.

IN OTHER NEWS

Relocating power lines

Relocating power lines can lead to tax complications for utilities. The person asking the utility to move its lines often reimburses the utility for the cost ...

State tax incentives

State tax incentives to locate new businesses remain under a cloud.

Undivided interest structures

Undivided interest structures may be taxed differently by US states than by the federal government...

An earnings stripping strategy

An earnings stripping strategy for British companies with US subsidiaries is under attack in the pages of Tax Notes magazine. The magazine is popular with policymakers in Washington...

Brazil

Brazil moved in December to tax foreigners on gains in the value of shares in their Brazilian subsidiaries caused by fluctuating exchange rates.

Mexico

Mexico has started collecting a 25% withholding tax on certain payments by Mexican companies to foreigners.

Depreciation bonus

Depreciation bonus issues continue to receive attention.

Out-of-state limited partners

Out-of-state limited partners may be taxed on their partnership incomes, even if they have no other ties to a state ...

West Virginia

West Virginia has been collecting too much in severance taxes from some coal producers, the state’s highest court said.

Communications excise taxes

Communications excise taxes may not apply to yet another type of phone service. The US government collects a 3% excise tax on “amounts paid for communications services...

Telephone companies

Telephone companies provide a service rather than sell a product, a Kansas court said.

Mauritius

Mauritius continues to receive barbs from the Indian government for its favorable tax treaty.

Turkey

Turkey reduced its withholding taxes on interest payments by Turkish companies ...

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan adopted a 10-year income tax holiday in December for new business ventures undertaking projects in parts of the country where the government would like to encourage economic development ...

Minor memos

Montana is moving to reduce property taxes on wind farms.